English students look further afield

More English students are applying to universities in Scotland and Wales even before the introduction of top-up tuition fees in England, figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) revealed today.

Applications to start degree courses this year have risen by 8% (more than 32,000 extra students) on the same date last year, reflecting a rising population of 18-year olds in England. In Scotland, where the young population is falling, there was only a 1.8% increase in applications.

Universities are expected to be worried by the financial impact of a 25.9% fall in applicants from China as part of an overall decline in the numbers of overseas students wanting to come here. UK universities have become increasingly dependent on income from overseas fees and are strenuously lobbying the government against increased student visa charges and a hardline attitude in consulates towards applicants.

More students from European Union countries, especially Greece, Cyprus, Sweden and Poland, are applying to come but they pay the same as British students. Applicants from EU countries have increased by 53% to 15,187, with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland showing numerical increases to 287, 167 and 1,015 respectively. The biggest exporter of students to the UK remains Ireland.

Today's figures show that 438,642 applicants had applied to attend university by March 24. More mature students are applying to higher education with applicants within the 21 to 24-year-old bracket up by 8.0% to 43,421 and the 25 years and over bracket up by 15.1% to 41,452.

An increasing number of applicants from England made cross border applications to Scotland and Wales, with figures rising by 17% to 28,948 and 12% to 37,520 respectively.

Women continue to make more applications than men with a figure that is 8.8% up on last year, from 224,574 to 244,300. Figures for men also indicate a rise, however, with a 7.1% increase from 181,435 to 194,342.

Electronic applications have risen to 75% in comparison with 52.6% at the same point last year.